Current methods for the cleaning of vinyl siding on homes vary from scrubbing with common household detergents to professional pressure cleaning. Although effective, the scrubbing procedures are very labor intensive due to the large surface area involved and can require the use of ladders as well as climbing on top of roofs for two story homes. Professional cleaning is inconvenient and costly. There are products currently on the market which are considered scrub-free but are based on a special high pressure hose fitted nozzle which produces a very narrow blast of water with siphoned detergents. Most of the soil removing is accomplished due to the force of the water impacting against the soil. This type of system is very time consuming due to the narrow water blast and large surface area involved. It can be ineffective in removing some biological soils such as algae and mold.
Another non-scrub cleaner on the market applies chlorine bleach to the surface in high concentration from a pump-up sprayer. The action of the chlorine attacks and dissolves the biological soils followed by a rinse. Virtually all of the soil removal is accomplished from the cleaner and the rinse plays a minor role. Again the operation is time consuming due to the length of time it takes to apply the cleaner from a pump up sprayer and use of ladders and roof climbing is often required to reach all of the vinyl surface.
Some manufacturers of vinyl siding recommend cleaning the siding by simply rinsing with water from a garden hose. Although this may be effective if done on a consistent enough basis to prevent buildup, most homeowners do not become concerned until the build up of foreign matter becomes visually noticeable but by then removal of such buildup cannot be accomplished by the garden hose alone.
Numerous cleaning products are currently known for cleaning different types of surfaces such as wood, plastic and metal, which are exposed to the outdoor environment. These materials are used in making decks, fencing, siding and so forth, and each presents unique problems with respect to cleaning. The known products usually require some type of scrubbing or brushing in order to achieve the stated purpose. Further, many of these products require mixing or measuring of some sort and therefore are very susceptible to being mixed improperly thus rendering them ineffective or an environmental and safety hazard. Many of the products also harm plants, fish, animals, or birds, and such products can destroy the landscaping and/or wildlife around the structure being cleaned.
The need for universal, or at least multiple surface compatibility is most relevant in applications where a surface to be cleaned comprises but a part of an overall structure, and where constraints of time and effort discourage a careful confining of the cleaning solution exclusively to the soiled surface.
An example of this is the cleaning of vinyl siding on a house. Typically the vinyl siding is interrupted by window and door frames comprised of aluminum, steel and/or wood. The cleaning solution for the vinyl should function effectively without harm to such surrounding other materials. This would enable a blanket application of the solution over a large area in a short amount of time. It would also be desirable to apply via spraying a cleaning solution on the upper portions of a house otherwise unreachable without using a ladder. Also, the cleaning solution should remove soil without brushing or scrubbing. This is highly desirable, again, on the upper portions of a house.
As a cleaning solution, chlorine bleach is known to remove mold, mildew and other organic and inorganic soil from outdoor surfaces. However, chlorine bleach, standing alone, corrodes metal and hence would be unsuitable in blanket applications such as vinyl siding on houses with metal window and door frames. Bleach without a surfactant can spread unevenly and stain wood surfaces.
Various cleaning compositions which incorporate an aqueous bleach component are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,057,505; 4,071,463; 4,113,645; 4,116,851; 4,789,495; and 4,806,263. The '505 patent incorporates a synthetic alcohol sulfate surface active agent and 0.05 to 2% (as used herein, % refers to wt. % unless otherwise indicated) alkali stabilizer such as sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or sodium orthophosphate in an aqueous solution of 3 to 7% alkali metal hypochlorite for laundry cleaning purposes. The '463 patent acknowledges the problem of lack of stability when ingredients are combined with hypochlorite bleaches. In addition, the '463 patent incorporates an alkali metal alkyl sulfate, an alkylated diphenyl oxide sulfonic acid alkali metal salt such as sodium dodecyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate ("DOWFAX 2A1"), a branched chain alkyl aryl sulfonate or mixtures thereof in an aqueous solution of 0.25 to 1.0% sodium hypochlorite with an alkaline builder such as sodium carbonate, trisodium phosphate, sodium metasilicate or sodium hydroxide to maintain the pH above 11.0. The '645 patent discloses a perfumed 1 to 15% hypochlorite bleach composition which is stable over long periods of time by utilizing perfume oils resistant to the oxidative effects of the bleach. The '851 patent incorporates up to 15% of a builder, up to 10% of a surfactant, 0.25 to 20% of a thickening agent and 0.5 to 9% of an alkali metal silicate such as sodium silicate in a 1 to 10% aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite used for cleaning kitchen utensils. The '495 patent discloses a cleaner for tiles, porcelain, floors, drains and laundry which incorporates 0.1 to 3% of a tertiary alcohol, a 0.5 to 7% of a hypochlorite-compatible surfactant, and up to 10% of an alkali metal hydroxide, an optional sodium silicate corrosion inhibiter in an aqueous solution of 0.5 to 10% sodium hypochlorite having a pH above 10 and shelf stability of at least three months. The '263 patent discloses a cleaner for solid surfaces which can be applied by a sprayer and which incorporates 0.003 to 0.4% of a water insoluble fungitide, algicide or mixture thereof, 1.0 to 6.0% detergent, 3 to 10% of a pH adjuster such as bode acid to adjust the pH to 4.0 to 8.5 prior to addition of an oxidizing agent, a thickener, and up to 1.0% of a chelating/sequestering agent such as sodium tripolyphosphate or trisodium phosphate in an aqueous solution of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite.
Although the foregoing patents disclose aqueous solutions of sodium hypochlorite for various cleaning purposes, these patents do not specifically address the need for a cleaner which removes foreign matter such as mold, mildew, algae, grime, pollen, pollution, etc., which build up on vinyl sided buildings. Moreover, these patents do not address the need for a cleaner which is biodegradable and which does not attack exposed glass and metal surfaces bordering the vinyl siding on such buildings.
There is hence a need in the art for a cleaning solution which functions effectively in cleaning plastic surfaces such as vinyl siding and which can be used effectively in blanket applications without worry of damage to metal or wood and glass surfaces. There is also a need in the art for a cleaning solution which is effective without the need for brushing and scrubbing to remove soil.